Okuzeka
Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Sociolinguistics

Accent

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

/ˈæksənt/nounCore term

In linguistics & grammar, accent means: A way of pronouncing a language that shows where a speaker comes from, such as their region, social group or first language, as in a Scottish or a Turkish accent.

In Turkish: aksan, şive

How it is used

Everyone has an accent, and linguists avoid calling any accent wrong. Teachers now often aim for intelligibility rather than a native-like accent. Accent can also mean stress on a syllable or a mark on a letter, as in é.

Example sentences

  1. He speaks fluent English with a slight Turkish accent.

  2. Received Pronunciation is an accent, while Standard English is a dialect; they are not the same thing.

Common collocations

  • strong accent
  • regional accent
  • foreign accent
  • native-like accent
  • dialectA variety of a language used by speakers in a particular region or social group, with its own vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
  • intonationThe rise and fall of the voice across a phrase or sentence, which shows things like a question, surprise, the speaker's attitude or whether they have finished.
  • stressExtra force or length given to one syllable in a word, or to one word in a sentence, which makes it sound stronger and clearer than the others.
  • sociolinguisticsThe study of how language varies and changes with society: how age, region, social class, gender and situation shape the way people speak.

More terms: Sociolinguistics

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: